NBA Rumours: Houston Rockets ready to welcome back 10-time All-Star if possible
Rumors around James Harden keep circling around NBA media, and the Houston Rockets have recently joined the mix. With it looking cleaner and clearer that Harden could leave the Brooklyn Nets at some point, the Rockets seem to be joining the party late.
An NBA writer for The Athletic, Sam Amick, wrote in a story that when Harden was traded, the Rockets made it clear they were open to having him return at some point. The Rockets tried to be as player friendly as possible, allowing their disgruntled star to pick his destination. Amick wrote:
“He nearly did it on Jan. 13, 2021, when Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta asked Harden to choose his destination — Brooklyn or Philly — and was relieved when he chose the Nets."
"The Rockets, who sources say made it clear to Harden that they would welcome him back in Houston if that was ever in the cards, were operating like a player-friendly operation in their handling of the deal but had all sorts of incentives to push the deal in Brooklyn’s direction.”
The Houston Rockets have ‘made it clear’ to James Harden that they would welcome him back in Houston if that was ever in the cards, per @sam_amick https://t.co/Xsg0zhAmcu
This does come as a surprise since the Rockets traded Harden after playing just eight games for them last season. Harden had made it very clear he wanted out of Houston to play for a contender, skipping off-season camps, not joining the team in the pre-season, and showing up overweight when he did arrive.
Still, Harden brought the Rockets back to being an elite team in the Western Conference, making the playoffs all eight seasons and making it to one Western Conference Finals. Despite all of his antics to get off the team, he still rejuvenated the franchise.
Does a James Harden to the Houston Rockets trade make sense?
It makes no sense for James Harden to join the Houston Rockets in their current state. Harden left to become a contender, and as of right now, they have the worst record in the Western Conference and third-worst in the league at 15-37.
The Rockets are one of the youngest teams in the league and had four first-round draft picks last season. They are paying John Wall to sit on the bench healthy, making $40 million this year, so their young backcourt can get playing time.
This wasn't only the first for the Rockets, but also the first of three 60-PT games for James Harden 🤯 https://t.co/79RSoiB6hS
Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. have been standouts this season and seem to be the cornerstone of the franchise's backcourt. Harden joining them now would likely stunt the progress they have been making as a unit and also take away minutes from one of them.
It would be interesting to see through because the Rockets do have the trade capital to get Harden, with young pieces and draft picks. However, the team is not built to win at the moment, so it just seems less likely that it will happen.
The report by Amick could just be hinting at something in the future. Showing that the Rockets are not holding anything against James Harden for what he did and that in the future, if he wanted to retire a Rocket, he could.